Florida holds off Minnesota, 78-64

Posted 2 years ago

Mike Rosario scored 25 points and Florida used an overpowering first half to roll past Minnesota and into the NCAA tournament round of 16 for third consecutive year with a 78-64 win Sunday in the South Regional.

The No. 3 seed Gators (28-7) shot a blistering 65 percent in the first half and led by 21 by halftime. The win earns Florida a return trip to the Lone Star State to play their next game at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.

Why Minnesota got beat: Minnesota dug itself too big of a hole—21 points at halftime—that it never was able to crawl out of. Florida shot 56 percent overall (21-of-37) and 50 percent from 3-point range (10-of-20). And the Gators shot 36 free throws, making 26; the Gophers were 16-of-22 from the charity stripe. Minnesota also had just four points from its bench.

Key moment: This game was tied, 10-10, at the 14:58 mark. From there, Florida ran away from Minnesota, outscoring the Golden Gophers 38-17 the rest of the half to take a commanding 21-point advantage, 48-27, at intermission. But Minnesota opened the second half on a 19-5 run to make it 53-46, Florida. But the Gophers never could get any closer, as the valiant comeback came up short.

Key player: Andre Hollins did all he could, hitting 8-of-13 shots en route to tallying a team-high 25 points. The sophomore point man was on fire from 3-point range, hitting 6-of-10. It wasn’t enough.

What’s next: Minnesota finished the season 21-13, losing four of its last five games after finishing 8-10 in Big Ten play. Some still will speculate on Tubby Smith’s future, as many felt he needed to win at least one NCAA tourney game. Well, the sixth-year coach did that. But was it enough? Stay tuned. A season that began with a 15-1 mark and No. 8 ranking went south quickly after an 88-81 loss at Indiana on Jan. 12 and largely was a disappointment.

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Mar 22, 2013; Austin, TX, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers cheerleaders perform during the second half against the UCLA Bruins in the second round of the 2013 NCAA tournament at the Frank Erwin Center. Minnesota Golden Gophers won 83-63.

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Mar 24, 2013; Austin, TX, USA; Florida Gators center Patric Young (4) and Minnesota Golden Gophers forward Trevor Mbakwe (32) tip off to start the first half of the third round in the 2013 NCAA tournament at Frank Erwin Center.

Mar 24, 2013; Austin, TX, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers forward Andre Ingram (30) dunks against the Florida Gators during the second half in the third round of the 2013 NCAA tournament at Frank Erwin Center. Florida won 78-64.

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Mar 24, 2013; Austin, TX, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers teammates sit on the bench during the final seconds of their loss to the Florida Gators in the third round of the 2013 NCAA tournament at Frank Erwin Center. Florida won 78-64.

Jim Cowsert-USA TODAY Sports

Mar 24, 2013; Austin, TX, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach Tubby Smith reacts during the second half in the third round against the Florida Gators of the 2013 NCAA tournament at Frank Erwin Center. Florida won 78-64.

FINAL: Mike Rosario scored 25 points and Erik Murphy added 15 to lead No. 3 seed Florida past No. 11 seed Minnesota, 78-64, on Sunday at Frank Erwin Special Events Center in Austin in the third round of the NCAA Tournament. Even in defeat, Andre Hollins came through for Minnesota (21-13) with 25 points, five rebounds, 8-of-13 shooting from the field, and 6-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc. Florida (28-7) hit 57 percent of its field goals (21-of-37), including 10-of-20 from deep, and drained 26-of-36 from the free-throw line. The Gators also got a double-digit contribution from Scottie Wilbekin (12 points). The Golden Gophers shot 8-of-18 from three-point range during the game, good for 44 percent. Minnesota, which secured 14 offensive boards, also got double-digit contributions from Trevor Mbakwe (11 points) and Rodney Williams Jr. and Austin Hollins, who each scored 10.

HALFTIME: Mike Rosario scored 17 points and Erik Murphy added 15 to lead Florida to a 48-27 halftime advantage over Minnesota in the South Region quarterfinals. Both Rosario and Murphy were white-hot from the field, combining to shoot 10-of-14, including 6-of-7 from distance. An aggressive offense and the ability to get to the charity stripe allowed the Gators to take a halftime lead. Florida made 11 of 13 free throws. The Golden Gophers went into a funk with the score 24-15, going 3:43 without a point while the Gators went on a 13-0 run to open up a 22-point lead. Andre Hollins scored 11 points to lead Minnesota, which shot 4-of-8 from beyond the arc.

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